On June 1, 2026, the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) received a 911 call at 5:13 a.m. and responded to lost hikers on the Ko’olau Summit Trail in Moanalua with 5 units staffed with 15 personnel. The first unit arrived at the Kāneʻohe District park at 5:26 a.m. to establish command and secure a landing zone to prepare for air operations. HFD’s Air 1 arrived on scene at 5:56 a.m. to survey the summit and determined that due to cloud cover and high winds, a better approach would be from the Hālawa-side of the Ko’olau’s. The Command Post and landing zone was relocated to the Hālawa District Park.
It was reported that a male and a female, both in their 30s, began hiking on Sunday morning at 3:00 a.m, became lost, and were unable to complete the hike. Air 1 inserted rescue personnel lower on the trail at 6:34 a.m. where they planned to hike to the summit and work their way down to the location of the hikers. Rescue personnel arrived at the hiker’s location at 9:22 a.m. where a medical assessment was conducted to confirm there were no injuries. Rescue personnel then escorted the hikers to a more favorable location for Air 1 to perform an air extraction. The hikers were then safely transported via Air 1 to the landing zone at 11:52 a.m. where medical care was declined.
All HFD personnel were accounted for with no injuries.